Apparatus for treating materials



Dec. 23, 1930. F. MARTINDELL APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIALS Original Filed Jan. 31, 1927 0 5 4w 4 6 V 3/ A Md? w Patented Dec. 23, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK IABTIIIN'DEIL, OF WESTERN SPRINGS, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELEC- TRIG COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK Application fled January 31, 1927, Serial 170. 164,894. Renewed larch 17, 1930.

This invention relates-to apparatus for treating materials, and more particularly to an apparatus for treating material applied to a core in strand form.

- An object of the invention is the provision of a simple and efiective sealing unit to be used in an apparatus for hardening material applied to a core in strand form.

In one embodiment of the invention, a wire is passed through a composition composed of a substantially non-volatile insulating material combined with suitable volatile, combustible solvents whereby a coating adheres to the wire. As the wire emerges from the composition it is passed through a zone which is maintained substantially oxygen-free by the action of the improved sealing unit, in which zone it is heated to vaporize some of the solvents upon the wire to render them 'more inflammable. The coated wire next passes through a zone where air is admitted and the vapors are ignited, whereupon the insulating material is baked or hardened upon the wire by the heat of combustion of the combustible substances in the coating composition. 1

It is believed that the invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description and accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of the in 26 is inserted between the tube 27 and the vention, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevational view partially broken away of an insulating device, and

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof 5 taken substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

The accompanying drawing, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, illustrates an apparatus for. in-' sulating wires of relatively great length 4 which is an improved and simplified form of the apparatus disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 151,624, filed November 30, 1926, by H. M. Larsen and which is related to the copending application Serial No. 164,995, filed Jan. 21,v 1927, by M.

Larsen. In this embodiment of the invention there is provided a sheave 10 around which a wire 11 which is to be insulated asses from a supply reel (not shown) to a arge cylindrical grooved pulley 12 fixedly mounted upon a shaft 13 which is driven in any suitable manner. The wire 11 passes over and around the pulley 12- and then downwardly into an insulating composition 15 contained in a vessel 16 in which is suspended a sealing unit including a cylindrical grooved ulley 17 secured upon a shaft 18 mounted in racket plates 19-19. Secured between the bracket plates 19-19 and efiecting an air-tight connection therewith is a forwardly extending sealing member 20 having a depending comblike portion 21 upon the bottom side of-which are formed a plurality of teeth which pro ect into the grooves of the pulley 17 in close p-oximity to the sides thereof. A back memr 23 which extends into the composition 15 is secured between the bracket plates 1919 andhalso efiects an air-tight connection therewit Secured upon the bracket plates, the sealing member 20, and the back member 23 in any suitable manner such. as by a flange 24 and bolts 25t25, is a tube 27 into which the wire is passed after it passes under and around the pulley 17. An insulating gasket above mentioned members to which it is secured to prevent conduction of heat from the tube to those members. The tube 27 is provided near its lower end with a plurality of openings 28 28 and immediately below the openings is mounted a pair of electrical heating units 2929, of any suitable type, which are connected to a suitable source of electrical supply (not shown) by conductors 30. The tube 27 is provided near its upper end with a flue pipe 32 having a damper 33 of any. suitable type rotatably mounted therein.

The operation oi the apparatus is as' fol lows: The wire 11 is passed from a suitable 90 supply tool (not shown) around the sheave 10, over the pulley 12, down and around the pulley 17, through the tube 27, around the pulley 12, again down and around the pulley 17, and through the tube 27 to the pulley 12. The wire is threaded around the pulleys in this way several times, in the embodiment shown, five times, and the last pass is drawn from the pulley 12 to a take-up device of any suitable type (not shown).

The vessel 16-is filled with an insulating composition of a substantially non-volatile insulating material combined with any suitable volatile and combustible solvents to a level above the lower side of the pulley 17. By the term solvent, as used above and hereinafter in the specification and annexed claims, is meant any substance which will combine with the insulating material to form a true solution, an emulsion, a suspension or a mixture of any of these states of matter. The supply of current to the electric heating units 2929 is turned on and the mechanisms driving the take-up device and the pulley 12 are started when the wire 11 will be drawn through the insulation composition 15 and become coated thereby. Due to the sealing action of the member 20 and the pulley 17, the strand of wire passes from the composition directly into the tube 27 without access to the air. Since the bracket plates 1919, the back member 23, and the pulley 17 are immersed in the coating composition, the only points through which air may enter the lower end of the tube 27 are between the lower end of the dependent portion 21 of the sealing member 20 and the pulley 17 and between the sides of the pulley l7 and brackets 19-19. However, the pulley 17 as it rotates through the composition 15 carries a quantity of the composition upwardly upon the surfaces of the sides and the grooves formed therein, which material fills the small spaces between the member 21, the brackets 1919 and the pulley 17, and thereby effectively seals these spaces against the entrance of air.

The coated strand passes upwardly through the tube 27 and is heated in the lower portion of the tube to cause some of the volatile, combustible substances present in the coating on the wire to vaporize. Since the lower end of the tube 27 is effectively sealed against the entrance of air and the vapors produced in the heated zone of the tube are burned above, the portion of the apparatus below the openings 2828 in the tube 27 is substantially oxygen-free. The coated wire next travels past the openings 28-28 in the tube 27 where a supply of air suflicient to burn substantially all of the solvents in the coating is admitted and mixes with the vapors produced below. These vapors are then ignited by any suitable means, such as by inserting a lighted torch through one of the openings 28-28 or by impinging a gas flame against the tube 27 adjacent the openings 2828 whereupon the solvents upon the portion of the wire at that instant passing the openings 2828, become ignited. The (lamp er 33 is then adjusted so that the flame produced by the combustion of the solvents is of a height which gives a satisfactory product. Substantially all of the solvents in the coating upon the wire are burned in the portion of the tube 27 adjacent and directly above the openings 2828 and sufiicient heat is generated near the openings to bake the insulation firmly upon the wire. The wire now coated with a hard insulating substance passes upwardly through the upper portion of the tube 27 and through the hot products of combustion therein which are generated in the lower portion of the tube whereby any remaining solvents in the coating are driven off and the insulating material is completely hardened upon the wire. The wire is then passed over the pulley 12 and again through the above outlined steps to add another coating of insulating material upon the wire and the wire is repassed through the apparatus until the insulating coating thereon has assumed a thickness sufficient for the use to which the wire is to be put.

Experiments have shown that ii air is admitted into the lower end of the tube 27 it is extremely difficult to control the height of the flame and consequently to control the characteristics of the finished product. By means of the sealing unit hereinbefore described and claimed in the appended claims, the tube 27 is efiectively sealed against the entrance of air and yet the wires passing therethrough are easily threaded through the apparatus and are accessible during the operation of the apparatus.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire enameling apparatus, a vessel for containing an insulating composition, a chamber for treating the composition upon a wire, and a sealing unit associated with the chamber comprising a rotatable member extending into the composition, around which a wire may be passed to be coated with the composition and guided into the chamber, and a sealing member secured in close proximity to the rotatable member, the rotatable member conveying a quantity of the composition upon its surface when rotated and thereby sealing the space between the last mentioned members against the entrance of air.

2. In a wire enameling apparatus, means for treating cores coated with a liquid, a sealing unit for preventing entrance of air into the treating means comprising a pair of bracket plates, a sealing member, and a. rotatable member mounted between the bracket plates in close proximity to the sealing member, the rotatable member designed to be immersed in a liquid and to convey a' quantity of the liquid upon its surface when rotated to seal the space between the rotatable member, the bracket plates and the sealing member against the entrance of air.

3. In a material treating apparatus, means for treating material coated with a liquid, and a sealing unit for preventing entrance of air into the treating means comprising a pair of bracket plates, a back member effecting an air ti ht connection therewith, a cylindrical mem er rotatably mounted between the bracket plates so as to extend into a treating liquid and having a plurality of grooves formed in its circular surface, and a sealing member secured in close proximity to the cylindrical member provided with a plurality of projections registering with the grooves therein and in close proximity thereto.

4. In a material treating apparatus including a vessel for containing an insulating composition, a combustion chamber for hardening the insulating composition upon material treated therewith, and a sealing unit associated therewith comprising a rotatable member partly submerged in the insulating composition, and a sealing member closely adjacent the rotatable member, the rotatable member conveying a quantity of the insulating composition upon its surface when rotated to seal the space between the rotatable member and the sealing member.

5. In a wire enameling apparatus including a vessel for containing an enameling composition, means for treating wires coated with the composition, and a sealing unit associated therewith comprising a rotatable cylindrical member partly submerged in the enameling composition and having a plurality of peripheral grooves formed thereon, and a sealing member having a serrated edge in close proximity to and registering with the grooves in the rotatable member, the latter member conveying a quantity of the enameling composition upon its surface when rotated to seal the space between the serrated edge of the sealing member and the grooves in the rotatable member.

6. In a material treating apparatus, a vessel for containing an insulating composition, a combustion chamber associated therewith having a plurality of air ports therein, means including a rotatable member partially immersed in the composition for conveying a core through the vessel and through the chamber to form an insulating coating thereon, and a sealing member cooperating with the rotatable member for preventing entrance of air into the chamber from the vessel.

7. In a material treating apparatus, means for containing a treating liquid, means for treating material coated with the liquid, and a sealing unit for preventing entrance of air into the treating means comprising a FRANK MARTINDELL. 

